Nothing But the Whole Truth
by storyteller362
Summary: Belle and Adam haven't been telling their children the entire story of how really met. Now that their youngest had reached the proper age it was time to sit them down and tell them the whole truth, in their own words. Even the ugly parts. Based on the 1991 Disney version. One Shot. Please tell me what you think!


**Authors Note: I was going to give them a rose like name (Rosalind, Rosine, etc) but figured that would be cliche at this point. So Belle naming her children after her favorite book characters or names she liked from books would still be pretty in character. As for where I picked some other names, well, if you can't tell where I pulled Beaumont, Villeneuve, and Gabrielle. Just go look up the original authors of Beauty and the Beast. You will not be disappointed on the names that I chose lol.**

**There are a bit of Anachronism Stews a little everywhere. I tried to be historically accurate but that was really holding me back from what I wanted to write lol. I made a book up for what Belle was reading in the first part, if you look closely the names of her kids are chosen from each book in order they are to be read. I wrote this mostly in one setting. Let me know if there is any grammar issues via PMing if you noticed so I can fix it. **

**Happy reading!**

* * *

_Belle sat in the library as the wind picked up outside, leaves swirled around from high tree tops, and a warm cup of tea next to her. Absentmindedly she rubbed her pregnant stomach a book in front of her. She hummed slightly to herself and turned a page. Footsteps were heard behind her, but she had tuned most noises out. _

_Behind her, her husband rubbed her shoulders lovingly. Leaning back into his hands she just smiled more to herself. _

_"Kind Arthur," said Adam. "Which part are you at?" _

_"Almost at the end," said Belle rubbing her stomach. "You know as much as I don't really like Guinevere, she has a really pretty name. What about that for a girl?" _

_He looked down at the pages with the illustration of a beautiful woman. A disgusted look on his face while Belle just smiled ruefully. _

_"You're right, Guinevere is too on the nose, what about Geneviève? It's sort of close," said Belle clearly knowing the difference between the two, including the etymology and origins but she liked the length and the g sound. Adam laughed nodding his head in a yes. _

_"Alright, alright if we have a daughter, we'll name her Geneviève," said Adam as he eyed a stack of books that was next on her pile. She was going to read the entire library before she was thirty at this rate. _

_He flipped his ponytail to eye the titles to see familiar titles. One an old worn book about an adventurer named Nathaniel__, a Greek mythology book, and Romeo and Juliet __were recognizable. An unmarked book from the spine looked familiar but not enough for him to place it. Curiously he reached for her pile before she swatted him away._

_"Don't touch my books," she said a steely gaze in her hazel eyes. _

_"What's the last one then?" _

_She glanced at the pile and shrugged before nonchalantly just said, "Ours." _

_Adam paused for a moment, theirs? Then he remembered that she tried to write their love story in novel form. Horrified he wondered if she was going to read it to the baby. Perhaps she'll add the wonders and joys that they'll have with raising a baby. He opened his mouth before closing it. _

_Belle looked at him curiously but said nothing before taking a sip of her tea. _

_"Something wrong?" _

_"You're not going to read that to the baby are you?" he asked cautiously gesturing to the last book on the pile. _

_Belle had paused and looked at the spine and grinned. "Of course, our child deserves to know what happened." _

_She studied him looking for an explanation. Instead Adam just winced and rubbed the back of his neck. A forced smile on his face and brilliant blue eyes looking anywhere but at her. She thought about what she had said and crossed her arms over her very pregnant belly. _

_"I don't think that it would be a good idea," said Adam after a minute. "Telling the baby about our history." Her eyebrows shot up and waited for a perfectly good explanation. "Well, we wouldn't the baby to go out and tell everyone about what happened even by accident." _

_Still not convinced she just pursed her lips urging him to continue. That was just an excuse to save their reputation, it was valid of course, but they could teach secrecy. _

_"What if, say Geneviève, doesn't even want to know about what happened?" _

_Valid point, she never asked for the story about how her parents met. Part of her didn't even want to know about their courtship since it would just lead to what they did to make their baby. Belle did NOT want to think about her father in that position. Their child deserved to know answers of their own in due time not to be forced upon them. _

_She took his hand, hazel eyes met blue urging him to keep speaking. _

_"I'm not saying that we shouldn't say anything. Maybe a stripped-down bedtime version of it would be nice." Now he was going to ramble. "What if the truth scares her into never trusting us again? Then she can't help but see me like that. But telling her would make her ignorant and turn into me anyway. Or Geneviève could take the story and turn her into this perfect little angel and be afraid of getting into trouble. Learning from your mistakes is a big part of growing up. What kind of father would I be if I can't protect her? Is there a right answer, a wrong an…" _

_Now it was spiraling out of control before Belle gently started to rub his own hands. _

_"Adam, I'm beginning to think that this isn't so much as the story as nerves of being a first-time father?" _

_Her voice was quiet but that the calmness inside of it cooled him off. Her husband sighed and just kissed her own hands softly. _

_"Partly yes, I mean the first thing that I thought of was our reputation and what she might possibly say. That's not exactly a good parenting technique is it?" _

_"No, your allowed to worry about how people would view us. Between the two of us one of us must," she said teasingly. She never cared but living among the aristocracy gave her a little perspective. Not enough to jump to that conclusion but still. _

_Adam kissed the inside of her wrist tenderly letting his lips linger there for a moment. _

_"I am nervous enough as it is." _

_"We'll keep the story simple for now. We can't exactly not tell Genevieve after all there will be stories from the villagers and the staff. Think of it more like a fairytale." _

_She had leaned in close to him and rested her forehead against his. They had smiled at each other before he had kissed her with a bit more vigor then before. Belle had slid the book across the table away from the heat of their passion._

* * *

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It was a quiet day in the library as Belle looked down from the library windows to the back of the castle sitting at a second-floor desk. Darkness was starting to envelope the grounds and the sky a light pink color. From her spot she could easily see her husband walking around the gardens with her father.

Then her eyes glided down to her children studying at the tables with their governess. All four of them rather grown up with youngest at 5. Her daughter had gotten up and was walking over to her and curtsied to her mother.

"Well hello Miss Juliette," said Belle as she bowed her head back to her youngest.

"Maman, what's your full name?" asked Juliette as she looked at her mother as she had a piece of paper in her hand.

"Well my full name Gabrielle Beaumont. Everyone has called me Belle since I was three," she said as her daughter wrote her name down on her sheet of paper. "Why do you ask?"

"I'm doing a family tree and I want to know everyone's names for my project," she said as she looked at her mother again. "What's papa's name?"

"Adam Villeneuve," said Belle as she looked over her daughter's shoulder at her paper.

Oh, that was good as her handwriting had really improve over the years. Her now five-year-old was very precious and loved to learn and read. It was almost at the point where it was starting to annoy the staff of how much she could just talk to anyone, about anything she just learned.

"I'm learning about our family. Grand-père had told us a funny story about you turning his underwear pink," she said giggling as Belle only smiled. That was a funny incident as she made sure not to make that mistake anymore.

She looked down at her book she had in front of her and took some notes. Belle had been doing some research on a nearby kingdom. The reigning monarch's Ella and Henry had six children around her own children's ages. Part of her couldn't believe that but alas, she did have four children of her own. She bit down on her bottom lip but continued reading. Research wasn't quite as fun as a fictional novel.

Geneviève sat next to the governess trying to finish her sewing sampler quietly. Despite being eleven it felt like it was yesterday she had her first child. Her brown hair twisted into gathered braids with a strand loose from her face as she pushed it back. Yep, that was her daughter as she had the same habits.

Next to her was Nathaniel with his quill pen scratching across the pages, his blue eyes never leaving the paper.

Alexandre not even paying attention to his work. Instead doodling something that she didn't get a good look at.

Then little Juliette with her light auburn hair in twin ponytails looked like a little girl version of Adam. She was struggling to write as part of her lessons.

"Here we are lovelies," said the governess dropping a stack of heavy books on the table, startling them all our of their thought process.

Yay, thought Belle, seeing that most were works of learning another language or some other technical manuals. Nothing fun of sorts but still good reads as she skimmed the spines. Until she got to the bottom of the pile. What the? There was a book down there, a special book that told the story about their father's time as a beast. Its home was amongst the other books.

"Madam, I found this and thought I'd show it to you," she said picking up the last book. "No title or anything a mystery book. I thought I'd bring it to you first."

Everyone's eyes were on her as she smiled at the bound pages. She didn't realize how long it had been since she had seen this book. She remembered Adam's promise and would have to tell them the full story soon.

"Can we read that book mama?" asked Juliette bouncing in her seat.

"Please read us a story," said Alexandre pouting. "I don't want to do lessons."

"Come on," complained Geneviève blood from her finger from poking it too hard. "Maman please tell us a story, I don't want to pay attention to this anymore."

"Am I the only one that wants to study?" asked Nathaniel from his spot looking around amused at his siblings.

Belle sighed and went from their faces down to the book. It was starting to get dark and dinner would be served soon. Hmm, thinking about she tucked the book firmly under her arm, before standing up. A plan forming in her mind and nodded.

"Tonight, just after dinner," she said. "Let me double check with your father because this is his story that we'll both want to tell."

"Wait what kind of story is it?" asked Nathaniel as she hurried to the door.

"Your father and I's," she said simply and made her way down the hall. It was time to talk to Adam.

Lessons had come and gone with everyone else finishing on time. A patch or two on Geneviève's fingers to stop the bleeding. Dinner was going to be served here shortly leaving Belle to race off and find her husband. Tonight, would be true bedtime story that they needed to hear.

She had found him talking with Lumiere about something or another in front of the castle doors. The younger of the two clearly not paying any attention.

Clearing her throat, she gently took his arm and strayed him away from the former candelabra.

"It's time," she said. "You know how we've been passing off how we met as a bedtime story? It appears that the governess had found the book I had written."

A brief look of horror crossed over his face while his entire demeanor changed. Instead of getting angry about it like he would in the past, this was surely different. He had just slouched and ran a hand over his face and through his hair.

"Can't we just wait?" he asked his voice turning hopeful. She just sighed and in the direction of the sinking sun.

"Adam it's been about 11 years of half truths and white lies. I'm pretty sure that the time is now, especially since Juliette could understand it now."

"We probably shouldn't have told them this as a bedtime story," said Adam a bit deadpanned.

"Oh hush," she said whispering to him. "No matter how they take it at least the story is out in the open for them to come to terms with it. You know that we'll always have each other."

She had pressed his lips against hers warming him up until they had to let go.

He just nodded and sighed before heading into the castle for dinner. Both had slipped off to change into the proper dinner attire. Given that they didn't really pay attention to the rules of convention all four of their children joined them at dinner unless they had guests. Then they would send them off to the nursey.

Dinner had come and gone with the kids sharing looks with each other. Eagerly sharing secrets and wondering what the story was about that they would tell them. Or not. Adam nervously picking at his pork roast not really engaging in conversation.

Finally, were all the children gathered together in one bed, dressed in their sleeping clothes.

"Is this really the story of how you met maman?" asked Nathaniel seriously.

"Yes, it is," said Belle brightly. "It's the full unedited version of it."

"I heard that magic was involved," said Juliette. "From the servants is it real? Did magic really bring you together?"

Adam and Belle looked at each other wondering which servant would tell her that.

"Don't be silly magic isn't real, isn't it?" asked Geneviève looking back and forth from her parents. Each oddly silent. "Isn't it?"

The silence seemed to be the answer that they were looking for. Geneviève open and closed her mouth unable to believe it. Nathaniel had eagerly sat up and leaned in hoping to learn more. The nine-year-old may be studious but that did not stop him from believing in such tall tales.

"Wow, how incredible," said Alexandre. "Did you fly to meet papa?"

"I bet trolls were involved right? Or the big bad wolf?" asked Juliette seriously.

"Well wolves were involved," said Adam. "I'm getting ahead of myself."

Stunned the four of them shared another look each eager to hear the full story. It had to start with Adam, they had known so much about their mother with their Grand-père telling them many many stories about how she grew up. Stories about how he grew up. Stories about her mother. Basically, they knew everything about her. It was their father that was shrouded in mystery.

"It starts with me. I was not a good man like I am now. I was mean, stubborn, and honestly maybe a bit scary and honestly just a scared kid. One day I was mean to a woman that came to the door. It was cold and snowing and she wasn't very pretty like your mother."

Belle just cracked a smile at that.

"And she couldn't pay me to stay in the castle except with a rose. So, I sent her away."

He took a breath wondering if they had any questions before Geneviève tentatively held her hand up. "Why did you open the door though? Why didn't Cogsworth do it since he's the butler? And if you were a kid wouldn't' he technically be in charge of you?"

"That you'll have to ask Cogsworth," he said a bit perplexed at her understanding it so far. "Because honestly I don't know."

Alexandre nudged his sister. "Stop asking questions I want to hear the whole story before I fall asleep."

"But it's illogical," she said defensively picking at her braid.

"Anyway, she revealed herself to be an enchantress and she got very angry with me. So she turned me into a… well… a beast."

Puzzled they looked for their mother for a description. Belle just shrugged and thought about. "You've seen pictures of animals before. If I had to describe him it would be a mixture of a buffalo, bear, gorilla, lion, wild boar and a wolf." She adjusted next to the kids and smiled tickling Juliette some. "But he had your pretty blue eyes."

She smiled and then looked at her father with wonder. She couldn't imagine him looking like any of those animals.

"And I stayed like that for many many years. The enchantress had given me a rose, like a ticking clock reminding me that time was passing. She told me that I would stay like this forever if I couldn't find someone to love me as a beast by the time, I turned 21. Then she gave me a mirror to see whatever I wanted to see."

Alexandre piped up next. "Wait this is like the bedtime story. Except you never said that beast was you and it only took a year to break his spell. How much time really passed in the true version?"

Adam smiled weakly at his son and looked down at the sheets before finally admitting. "Ten years."

"Oh."

He nodded gravely and looked at his kids seeing that this part was going to be hard. "During the ten years I acted more and more like an animal. I would hunt like a lion or a bear and tear into animals."

Geneviève and Nathaniel's eyes grew wide and gasped knowing what that meant. The younger kids confused but they'd get to the circle of life later.

"And I stayed mean and boorish and cruel to everyone around me. You see the enchantress had also turned the servants into objects. Cogsworth was a clock for example and Fifi was a feather duster. Since I had done something mean they had also paid the price."

"Would…" said Geneviève and stopped herself already knowing the answer.

"Then maman came right?" asked Nathaniel hoping they got to that part of the story. Belle bit her bottom lip. In the stripped-down version, they never mentioned her dad coming at all.

"Well my papa came first," said Belle stepping in. "He got lost going to the inventors fair and came to the castle. Cogsworth and Lumiere had let him in and your dad got really angry. Then he, well, locked your grand-pere in the tower as a prisoner."

The kids all looked from Belle to Adam and then back at her. Clearly not believing it but taking the story in stride they watched them to continue.

"I came when our horse Phillipe came back. I got the sense that he was in trouble and Phillipe lead me back to the castle. Your papa was mean to me but I switched places with him and be his prisoner instead."

Horrified Geneviève looked like she wanted to say something but thought better of it.

"Where do the wolves come in?" asked Nathaniel breaking the story.

"Soon. And grand-pere left the castle to go home."

"Yes, I had thrown him into a carriage," said Adam fidgeting. "And I was not nice to your mother, but I still gave her a room of her own, from Lumiere's suggestion."

Belle looked surprised at him seeing as she didn't even know that.

"And we got off on the wrong foot. I was given a tour by Lumiere and Cogsworth and they warned me to stay away from the west wing. I went anyway and nearly touched his rose that your dad got protective over. Then I ran away. That was when the wolves began to attack me."

"I save your maman from the wolves," said Adam brightly. They had to see him do something good so far.

Nathaniel and Alexandre shared a look and just nodded believing that to have happened. In a way they were really impressed instead of scared of what their father would have been like.

"Then we started to fall in love," said Belle. "When started to treat me nicely I returned the kindness. Then we built a relationship on mutual love and respect, just like I hope you have with your spouses." She paused and smiled at Adam. "When he gave me the library I knew that I was in love."

Geneviève and Juliette aww'd at the thought of their parents falling in love. Although it was kind of weird that he was like that instead of a human. The boys just made a face wondering if that was just the end of it. That was how their bedtime story ended. They met fell in love, she said I love you, and the curse on him was broken.

"The thing you have know is that I had a suitor. His name was Gaston and he was in love with the idea of what I'd be like," said Belle. That was the honest truth, he did not like her for her. "Before I had left to find your grand-pere he tried to propose to me. I said no and left not knowing that he would try to marry me when I returned."

Adam waited for a reaction, but they were just simply too engrossed in the story.

"He was really sick and still lost in the woods when your father showed me his mirror. I had left to help him back return back to good health. Gaston nearly had him committed to the asylum unless I married him. I told him where I was and that my papa wasn't crazy…"

Adam couldn't' help it but just finished it as fast as possible. "Yourmothershowedhimthevillagersthemirror. TheycametothecastletofightmeandGastonhadstabbedme. . The End."

Everyone had turned to look at him with Belle simply stunned that he had the nerve to finish it like that. Slowly he had repeated himself with a satisfactory look on his face. That small smile that he hoped eased their minds some.

Belle shook her head but then kissed his cheek glad to have it all out in the open.

"Any questions?" asked Belle. "I know that this is hard to taken it."

"I like that version better than the other one," said Alexandre crying out loudly. "I don't care if it's real or not I want to hear the action-packed version next time."

"I like it too," said Juliette brightly. "I mean it's the same moral that you shouldn't judge people on what they look like. That sometimes a hero to one person might be a bad person to another, right? The villagers like Gaston but he was mean to papa who was bad to him."

A smile crossed Belle's face knowing that she helped teach her kids right. "That is a very good outlook. It's not the same moral but, you should also know that a good person can do bad things sometimes. Like a bad person can do the right thing. It's to learn from your mistakes."

The two younger children nodded understanding what Belle and Adam had to face together. Geneviève and Nathaniel were the two that really had to take a good long look at their father.

"I have so many logistical questions about that story," said Geneviève but shook her head. "I'll get back to you in a week."

Belle just laughed understanding that and looked at Nathaniel.

"I don't know if I believe it but it's a really good story, much better then the other version," he said shaking his shaggy light auburn hair out of his face. "Can I ask the servants to verify this?"

"Yes, yes you may," said Adam sternly reminding himself that he should talk to them next. "Now let's get everyone to bed. If you want to sleep with us feel free."

Oh boo, thought Belle, she couldn't stay up all night and reread Jack and the Beanstalk once again. Aesop's Fable's was her favorite book after all.

Together they had tugged Juliette into bed first. Their five-year-old had fallen asleep instantly when they kissed her head and a small goodnight. Then Alexandre who was pretty bouncy and would probably make his way to their bed later tonight. Nathaniel insisted on that he was going to bed but a book underneath his arm. Finally, Geneviève had turned to her parents.

"Is it all right if I stay with you?" she asked nearing the end of the hall of bedrooms.

"Of course. Let your dad and I talk first ok?"

She skipped merrily into the room first leaving Belle and Adam alone in the hall. Her hazel eyes peering up at him. Adam had been staring long and hard at the door that had shut. Distracting him Belle had pulled him into a hug leaving him to lean into it and press a kiss to her forehead.

"I can't imagine what kind of logistical questions she would have," said Adam. "They took well though. If you told me that story at their age, I wouldn't' believe it."

"Well it happened and makes our love story unique." She paused seeing his face full of doubt. "Adam, they're processing it. For all we know Juliette believes it to be a story and the others will come to terms with it on their own time. Just know that I love you and that's all that matters."

Sighing Adam just took her hand kissed her lips softly but also firm. He wanted to take this a step farther but couldn't. She squeezed him softly before leading him into their room.

Something told her that everything was going to be okay.


End file.
